I don't know what I'm doing wrong but it takes me forever to simply frost a cake. I'm talking about just getting the icing on it, even before using the Viva paper towel trick. I know you are supposed to use thinned icing and I *think* I'm getting my icing thin enough. The problem is that everytime I try to spread the icing out, I get about a million crumbs mixed in. I've seen professionals on TV that can literally frost a cake in about 60 seconds with no problems. I've heard of making a crumb layer first but that seems like even more trouble. What's the secret?


HELP!!
Cindy

Well, some people do a crumb coat first, which is a very thin coat of icing. Let it dry and then put the next coat on.

I use the big icer tip, I think is #489, to cover the entire cake and then I smooth. Its much faster for me becasue the cake is all covered and I don't have to worry about crumbs.

I crumb coat all my cakes. It takes care of the crumb problem and the second coat goes on much easier. I also use the icer tip for the final coat. Try the crumb coat technique an I think you will be happy with the results.

maybe you're dragging the spatula across the cake? it takes a light touch to smooth the icing while not pulling at the cake. make sense?

I like to chill my cakes before I ice them... I find it easier to ice a cake when it's firm. The first thing I do is load the cake with icing.. It sounds like you may not be putting enough icing on the cake if your getting crumbs. I lay it on pretty thick because a lot of it will come off when I smooth it.

I use a pasty scraper like this one..http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:5op-a6u1Th4J:image1.styleinamerica.com/wsecimgs/images/products/200529/0001/img31m.jpg I start with the sides and place the scraper on the board so it's horizontal with the cake. I start turning the cake on the turntable and smoothing the icing. I usually have to make a couple stops to dump the icing back in the bowl because I use so much... I usually do the sides a couple times to get it nice and smooth... Each time I do this I put less pressure on the scraper so I don't take too much off and end up with cake showing. I then use a spatuala to get the top smooth. I hold the spatula at an angle and pull the icing from the edge into the center and I find that it gives me a nice clean edge.

I've been decorating for 13 years and I still hate icing a cake...It's my least favorite thing to do in decorating.. Once you get a technique down that you like, it'll go much faster!!

Good luck!!

I know what you mean. I have found two solutions. First is to do a crumb coat. I thought that would just take MORE time at first too, but then someone explained to me that the point of a crumb coat is to not care at ALL that tons of crumbs are getting mixed in and to have lots of cake showing though. So its just a paper thin coating all over the cake. Then you have to let it crust for a good 15 min before puting on the acctuall icing.

The second trick I just learned from working in a bakery where I have to frost 15-45 6" cakes per shift (5-8 hours). I'm not supposed to use crumb coats on the white cakes (my boss is very perticular about dumb things) and she told me to make sure to plop on PLENTY of icing, and then a) don't ever lift the spatula from the top intil the entire top is covered with icing, and b) don't ever let the spatula touch the cake.

I hope this helps, nd take heart in knowing that plenty of other people have the same trubble you do (I worked 11 1/2 hours the first time I had to do 45 cakes!)!

It's important to make sure you are using thin icing. Thicker icings don't stick to the cake and pull up crumbs as you are working with it.

Crumb coating and the big icer tip are both great tips. The Cake Icer tip helps because you are putting icing all over the cake and you are not touching the cake with the spatula.

Try to avoid the back and forth motion with your spatula. When you do that you usually pull up crumbs.

If you do get crumbs on your spatula, wipe it clean. You will never work the crumbs back in.

It used to take me an hour also. I would crumb coat being careful to always go in the same direction, let it crust, then put on the rest of icing and smooth. I saw a demonstration of Wilton's Icer tip at one of my cake classes, so I bought one & tried it. It was a little awkward at first, but now that I am used to it, what a time saver and I don't need to crumb coat at all using this tip! I use the hot spatula technique to smooth and I am good to go.

When I first started decorating, it took me FOREVER just to ice and smooth a cake. The best advice I can give you is to give it some time, make sure your cakes are fully cooled before icing, and make sure your icing isn't too thick.

One thing you may want to look into is using the icing tip with a decorator bag. This will seriously cut down on the crumbs.

When I'm icing a white cake, I don't always do a crumb coat, but I just did three chocolate 1/2 sheet cakes and used a crumb coat on these, which I found made it much easier to ice the cake.

Stick with it, it'll get easier!

Sammy